Chris Rock Storms Off Stage

Veteran New York Post gossip columnist, Cindy Adams, says comedian, Chris Rock, "went momentarily ape," and stormed out after realizing he was being filmed during an unannounced comedy set at a private party...

From Cindy Adams

Saturday night. Special invitation issued months ago. The host — Anthony Pratt, executive chairman of Pratt Industries. His full-page NY Times ads run constantly. The family is Triple A in Australia.

Pratt does nothing halfway. Dinner’s second course brought — surprise! — Chris Rock. No big announcement. Nobody had seen him. Nobody heard he’d be there. He’d been officially hidden.

Casually dressed — but costing more than the sirloin — he said, “Our new push will be outer space. We’ll put all the Mexicans on the rockets.”

Big applause. Big excitement.

A very short set. Barely minutes when he saw something the audience did not. We faced the stage. He faced us. Behind us the back walls and exit doors.

Whatever he saw — or thought he saw — upset him. Like he went momentarily ape and shouted something like he wasn’t supposed to be taped, videoed, reported or whatever else wasn’t supposed to happen.

Didn’t complain. Didn’t explain. Didn’t do one more minute. Barrelling quickly, forcefully, through people to the exit doors, he kept bitching loudly and, without a second’s hesitation, stormed out — never to return.

The stunned audience was redeemed with Keith Urban. He did an hour and a half. Everyone dancing. Audience participation — and all but Rock left happy.

Who knows if Pratt will get his down payment back.